I've read and highly enjoyed Rory Power's other works, especially Burn Our Bodies Down, so I was excited to read Kill Creatures! Overall, I thought it was pretty good. I loved the suspense and the flipping timelines back and forth from "then" to "now." Objectively, I thought the plot twist at the end when the reveal happened was built pretty well and you can point and see exactly what was building up to it. I thought Nan was an interesting character, I personally wanted a bit more than we got with Edie, Jane, and Luce, but understand why we didn't get it.

My big thing was that the plot twist was kinda meh. Maybe I was expecting something a bit more out of pocket, just based on the likes of BOBD and Wilder Girls had done, but it just felt a little typical thriller-y. I realize that's what they were going for, so I know it's more my expectation than execution. The execution itself, when everything was figured out, I thought made practical sense and was a bit shocking in context of the story.

It was a nice, well-paced read and I liked it. Not my favourite of Power's work, but one I would recommend to someone looking for a YA thriller with a queer MC. Thanks netgalley for the eArc!

One summer Nan and her friends go out on the water, and only Nan comes back. She convinces everyone that it was all a tragic accident, but when one of the girls washes ashore a year later. She seemingly has no memory, but Nan has to tread lightly because everything will fall apart if she remembers that Nan killed them all. First of all, a round of applause for this cover. Absolutely stunning work! And for the book itself…well, it’s hard to say. I read this is damn near one sitting, because it was really well paced and I was dying to find out what happened. But when I did find out what happened I feel like it was just okay. It’s more of a cat and mouse game where you aren’t sure what certain people know and what happened so it’s fun as reveals start rolling in, but when it’s done you feel kind of deflated. Compulsively readable, and really summer-vibey but not something that’s going to stay with me long after I returned it to the library.

There’s something rotten and raw at the heart of Kill Creatures, and Rory Power makes sure you feel it pulsing on every single page. This is a story steeped in dread, grief, and secrets that rot from the inside out—made even more unnerving by the fact that you’re trapped inside Nan’s mind the whole time. And let me tell you… being in Nan’s head? Sickening in the best way.

Nan is complicated. She’s not the kind of character you root for with blind loyalty—she’s someone you study, cautiously, like a venomous creature you’re not sure will strike. She’s survived something awful, and as the story unravels, you get the sinking feeling she’s not telling you everything. When one of her long-missing best friends returns from the dead (literally), the whole town is stunned. But Nan? Nan’s spiraling, because she knows what happened that night… and now it's all falling apart.

Power delivers her signature eerie atmosphere with sharp, propulsive prose. You can practically smell the canyon dust and hear the whispers just beneath the wind. It’s a psychological thriller that doubles as a study of female friendships—how twisted they can become when shaped by insecurity, obsession, and power.

While I did guess several of the twists early on (chalk that up to too many late nights with thrillers), the final reveal left my jaw fully on the floor. That moment alone earned the fourth star.

Just to provide a glimpse into Powers' lyrical, beautiful writing:

“I carried them in pieces, not in memory. Teeth. Fingernails. A song stuck in my throat.”


“Grief was just love with nowhere to go—but rage, rage always found a way.”


Kill Creatures is not a comforting read. It doesn’t want to be. It’s moody, sharp, and rotting at the edges—and I mean that as the highest compliment.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Scholastic, for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based off of an uncorrected proof which did not sway my opinion either way. Thank you for this haunting GEM!

this story was so BORING in how it played out. Nan tells us right in the beginning what happened and nothing that comes after it is a surprise or anything shocking at all. She killed her "friends" that's all there is to it and everything to do with Nan's father afterward is just so trivial. The epilogue too that's in Luce's POV is just as meaningless. It added nothing to the overall story. I didn't care why Luce did what she did or what her true purpose was in trying to befriend Nan.

I read this book right before my vacation and it was the perfect shorter read needed to kick off what turned out to be a great reading vacation.

When the book opens, the main character Nan, is attending a memorial in her small town of Saltcedar Canyon. A year ago, she and her three best friends snuck out for a night of fun, but she is the only one who returned. Obviously still reeling from her grief, Nan doesn't know how she will make it through the ceremony. After all, the bodies were never found so the girls' parents are trying to keep hope arrive. However, everyone is in for a shock because in the middle of the memorial one of the girls surfaces and surprising to everyone, she is still alive. This is especially surprising to Nan, because only she knows she killed all three on that fateful night.

I originally wanted to read Kill Creatures because it was marketed as a horror story. I didn't really find it as such, but it was full of horrific events and even more horrific people. In fact, I'm pretty sure there wasn't one person in the book I liked, but boy, I loved every minute I spent disliking them. Since so much is revealed up front, this book basically works with a dual timeframe. While Nan and the town is trying to put together what happened to Luce, the girl who has returned, the reader is also seeing what events led up to that fateful night. Even though this is a YA book, I have to admit there were a few shocks I didn't see coming.

If you like unreliable narrators and don't mind deep topics (although there is a huge list if trigger warnings I ignored at the very beginning), this might be the book for you. It's the first one I've read by this author even though I've had some others on my TBR for some time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book.

Last summer, Nan's 3 best friends went missing and are presumed dead. On the one year anniversary, one of them, Luce, magically reappears. But that can't be, because Nan killed her.

This book is interesting. It's a fairly short read, and the story is okay. It is a little disjointed in how it's written. The writing is in turn flowery and descriptive and then straightforward and explanatory. It's distracting at times.

Kill Creatures was my first Rory Power book and I'm intrigued by their writing. The premise of the book is that Nan has murdered her three best friends, and approaching the one year anniversary of their deaths, one of them returns to town, very much alive. We then have a double suspense story that involves not who killed the girls, but 1) why did Nan kill them, and 2) where has Luce been for the past year and how did she survive?

This book was compelling and interesting. I was motivated to keep reading to find out what had happened to Luce and why Nan has decided to murder her in the first place. The plot events of the middle part of the book are heavily hinged on Nan searching for answers and don't present too many surprises, so the book could become slow for a reader in the middle, but I found I was still motivated by the ultimate reveal.

There were a couple of small but surprising twists toward the end of this book that made it stand out from other mysteries and I think the premise alone with be enough to draw in my students. The tone is pretty dark, so it won't suit everyone, but the teens who love serial killer stories and true crime will definitely be excited about Kill Creatures.

This was a good read.

While I never truly liked our MC, I felt sorry for her. I felt sorry for some of the other girls as well. Being a girl can be hard. Being a girl when you feel like you don't belong anywhere can be tragedy.

This one was tragedy.

The story was suspenseful and had pervasive themes of grief, rage, and regret throughout.

A terribly sad story, but nicely done.

Thanks to NetGalley to letting have an advanced e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

BOY. I thought I knew what was gonna happen but I should know with Rory Power, it’s never gonna be what I thought or think or any of that.
Here. We. Go.
Nan was found in the boat alone in the middle of the lake. What happened to her three best friends you might ask? Oh, well OBVIOUSLY, she murdered them. Wait, what, you say? How is that not a spoiler? Well, that is the least exciting thing that happens in the book because. AHEM. One of the girls Nan thought she killed emerges from the lake, very much alive. How much does she remember? Is this a very real ghost coming back to haunt Nan for her crimes? Did she actually kill the girls she called her best friends?

This book had me guessing at every corner. It was a bit slow to start and frustrating but that’s what happens with an unreliable narrator. Rory Power is excellent and building the suspense until I just had to stay up all night to finish the book.
4/5 stars

Everything I read by Rory Power slams me over the head with how strange yet great it is. This book was so compelling in how bizarre it was, and I loved the characters and plot. I raced through this story, on edge the entire time, because I was just being pulled through this book by how interested I was---I NEEDED to know what happened/what was going on. The pacing of this is immaculate, with well-plotted twists layered with descriptive writing. As always, I'm looking forward to more from Rory Power in the future.

This book is HAUNTING me. I need to get my hands on a physical copy to add to my collection. Rory power is truly one of the most talented authors I've ever had the pleasure of reading the works of. This book was perplexing and captivating and I held my breath for most of it. I was constantly on edge and absolutely obsessed straight through. Wow. Just wow.

This book was not what I was expecting, I dont know if there was just too much hype in my brain about it, but it fell short of expectations. The book was slow, with the switches between time periods feeling jaggedy. I did like the storyline once it got going and I found the twist at the end somewhat surprising. I think this is a good title to read if you just need a short, easy book to read. I am always down for Rory Power though.

For my review feature Summer Thriller Reads TBR Roundup Tour

Oh. my. goodness! This was a delectable morsel for YA Thriller fans! I devoured this to bring you the best quotes and convince you to pick up a thriller this summer. Ready to fan-girl some accomplices?

~Three girls gone, and only me left to tell the story. To tell the truth.

…something really did happen that day. The billboard over town, the vigil, the press outside—it’s proof that I made three girls disappear.

~I’m just not sure exactly how anymore

~If I wanted to I could run from it. I could slip back into the Eye, and nothing would find me there. Not if I dove deep enough.

“What is this Luce?”
“A haunting. …so you never escape the people you killed.”

**A Haunting, Heart-Pounding Masterpiece of YA Horror**

*Kill Creatures* is everything I love in a YA thriller—twisty, emotional, and absolutely chilling. Rory Power delivers another knockout with this dark tale about grief, memory, and the unsettling things we do to survive. Nan’s narration is both haunting and gripping; from the very first line (“she’s the one who killed them”), I was hooked.

The horror isn’t just in the blood or eerie setting of Saltcedar Canyon—it’s in the unraveling of memory, the manipulation of truth, and the weight of guilt and love. The sapphic relationships are handled with nuance and intensity, adding emotional depth that lingers long after the last page. Power’s prose is as atmospheric as ever—lush, sharp, and utterly immersive.

The pacing is tight, and the reveals hit hard. I found myself second-guessing everything, just like Nan. If you’re a fan of *Wilder Girls* or enjoy stories with unreliable narrators, twisted friendships, and creeping dread, this is your summer must-read.

It’s violent, unsettling, and honest in a way few YA books dare to be. *Kill Creatures* isn’t just a story—it’s an experience.

Highly recommend for fans of psychological horror and darkly beautiful storytelling. Thank you to the author and publisher for the book and my honest review.

I mean this in the nicest way but this book was so stressful I wanted to stop reading.
The author did an amazing job making me root for the main character despite everything that she did. Only problem I had with this book was the epilogue. It seemed to just be there for shock value.

After the amazing first sentence of Rory Power's KILL CREATURES, I could not put it down. Nan is a deliciously unreliable narrator. She's also a compelling character, making for an irresistible combination. The novel's beginning is especially riveting with seemingly impossible return of Luce. One thing I loved is that Nana does awful things yet, when everything is revealed, my heart breaks for her. How did Rory Power do that so beautifully? I have already assigned this novel to several students who are writing unreliable narrators and/or characters who do very bad things without remorse. KILL CREATURES has helped them understand how to develop their own characters in a way that leaves them compulsively readable.

Dark, twisty, and impossible to put down, Kill Creatures is a gripping YA thriller about memory, guilt, and the secrets between friends. Rory Power masterfully unravels a chilling mystery through an unreliable narrator and haunting prose. Perfect for fans of Sadie and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this is a psychological puzzle that lingers long after the final page.

I loved the creepy vibes in this small-town thriller. After Nan, an unreliable narrator, if there ever was one, killed her three best friends last summer, she's shocked and terrified when one resurfaces on the day of the girls' joint memorial service.

I enjoyed wondering if the way Luce came back was going to be magical or mundane and if the amnesia she was claiming was real, or if she would be the one to expose Nan's crimes.

Overall this was a great YA thriller that really kept me guessing.

Kill Creatures is a sensational and unputdownable YA thriller that is destined to keep you in its clutches until the early hours. You do not want to miss this.

Rory Power’s work always thrives in the liminal space between fantasy and reality with an interplay between the two that makes you question what you are reading. This lends itself incredibly well to this story which centres around unreliable narratives and the constant sensation of someone lying to you. As a reader you are doubting everything and that creates an unease and atmosphere that is like lightning in a bottle. If you cannot believe everything, you feel even more motivated to track down the truth. This is an impossible situation and you desperately want to figure it out. Like other great YA thrillers, there are plenty of twists and turns in store as Power weaves a twisted web for you to get lost in. There is a throughline of potential speculative elements and local folklore entangled in the story that is deeply fascinating and again lends itself to that blurriness and ambiguity that keeps you hooked. It feels like the town itself is a character with the spotlight increasingly weighing down Nan. That small-town community is brought to life with everyone knowing everyone else and subsequently their secrets. The interpersonal dynamics are crucial and Power gradually reveals the full extent of this. Everything feels like kindling waiting to spark and that fateful night is the foregone explosion that was always building. In this vein, Saltcedar Canyon is eerie, a reminder of the power of nature and maybe other elements.

All of this is set up perfectly by that pitch. Nan killed the girls last summer, but now one of them has returned. Everything about this is irresistible and reels you in. I heard this and just had to read the book. It is a unique premise where you know from very early on that you are dealing with a narrative that is going to flip the script and make bold, interesting and unexpected choices. Power capitalises on this and delivers an arresting and enthralling story that constantly builds the tension with stakes that soar sky-high. We follow the two timelines of then and now, building towards a conclusion that seems telegraphed from the first page, but is everything as it really seems?

There is also a thematic exploration of privilege and the tension between holidaymakers and locals that can boil over. The differing backgrounds of these characters has shaped them fundamentally and also causes plenty of clashes. Nan has always been an outsider, until she forged this friendship, but it is layered and complicated in ways that Power slowly shows to the reader. It is wickedly captivating reading with the way the jigsaw pieces start to fit together. There are relationships that develop and may spiral into obsession. It is so well-constructed and builds until the tension feels unbearable. Nan is at the centre of both timelines, evading the truth in the present and moving towards the unthinkable in the past. She is cold, calculating and manipulative with a voice that sends shivers down your spine. In stark contrast, her desire to belong is palpable and strongly defines her. All of this builds towards an incredible and explosive conclusion with an excellent sting in its tale. Power’s writing is exacting and sharp with a bite to it.

Kill Creatures is going to be one of the YA books of the summer. It builds on its phenomenal premise to deliver a taut and thrilling read that keeps you in its clutches until the final page.

Kill Creatures is a page turner about secrets, obsession, and jealousy.

I always know I'll have a good time with a new Rory Power book. I like how she writes her female characters, and their friendships in particular. They are flawed and weird and complex. Kill Creatures has no shortage of these female characters.
I was so intrigued by the idea of this story - friends go missing one summer until one year later when one of them comes back alive, much to the shock of the town, but also to Nan, the one who killed them. So much potential!

Unfortunately, once the story got going and when all the twists and turns at reached their end, it all felt underwhelming and cliche. I found myself connecting less and less with our main character, Nan, and her motives for the story always felt like something was missing.